County ends plans to install plasma arc gasification plant

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to put an end to plans to install a plant at the Buena Vista Landfill that would have used high energy to dispose of the county’s trash.

The decision, which came with no discussion by the board, ended months of dispute between adaptiveARC, the company that wanted to build the plant, and a group of south county activists and numerous community members.

Proponents billed the plasma arc gasification plant as an emission-free answer to the county’s zero-waste goals. Opponents, on the other hand, said the technology is untested and creates hazardous gases such as dioxin. They were also concerned that the plant was to be placed near Pajaro Valley High School, the Rountree Detention Center and the Buena Vista migrant labor camp, which is home to about 500 people.

Board members said they requested emission data from the company’s other plant in Mexico, but the information was never provided.

The county Department of Public Works said the company did provided information, but it was deemed inadequate. In a letter to the board last week, the department recommended an end to negotiations with the company.

“The defeat of this plasma arc incinerator in disguise is a great community victory that will protect the health of residents,” said Bradley Angel, executive director of Greenaction. “Our communities need more recycling and waste prevention, not incinerators in disguise that will pollute the air, threaten the health of residents and use low-income communities of color as dumping grounds.”

San Francisco-based Greenaction, the local Sierra Club chapter, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Watsonville Brown Berets and several community members took part in the effort against the plant.

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(Published in 11/19/08 edition)



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